Anchorage Review for Okatuppa Creek

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Nov 4, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/03/2025 Anchored in ~8-9'. Anchor held nicely, however, our stern anchor needed to be reset once. Beautiful area, wide creek to easily maneuver. Took the dinghy for a scenic ride further into the creek. Small sandy "beach" on port upon entering the creek good for pet relief. We have Starlink which worked fine, however regular cellular & WiFi were sketchy at best. Ample room for multiple boats.

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Anchorage Review for Bashi Creek

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Nov 4, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/02/2025 Anchored in ~8-9' in the narrow creek. Easily spun our 44' boat with 15' beam, and 5' draft. Anchor held nicely. We have Starlink which worked fine, however, regular cell service & WiFi was sketchy at best. There is a boat launch at the entrance to the creek which is a good spot for pet relief.

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Anchorage Review for Lower Windham Landing Cutoff

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Oct 29, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/28/2025 - anchored in ~11'+, saw deeper depths further into the oxbow. (The north entrance depths were ~12'-20'+). The "pool" at the bend showed ~25'-30'+. Rain & winds had us moving around a bit but our anchor held strong. There is not really a good place for pet relief unless you dinghy ~1.5-2mi. south to a boat launch. Otherwise there is a spot at the edge of the river (farm land), but NOT GOOD when rainy/wet as it's muddy and slick. Probably not a good anchorage for those with pets, otherwise good anchorage.

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Anchorage Review for Pickensville SE

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Oct 28, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/27/2025 Easy access to a large anchorage set back from the primary channel. Anchored in ~15' across from a dock that provided access to the Pickensville recreational area. Some noise from a train that passed by in the evening and trucks pulling in & out of a local industrial business, otherwise quiet overnight. Lights lit up the area but were not intrusive. Three boats anchored in Pickensville SE for the night with ample room for more. (Two others anchored in Pickensville South in up to ~30', with ample room for more boats). We would anchor here again and recommend to others.

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Anchorage Review for Tombigbee River

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Oct 24, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/23/2025 Anchored in ~25' of water in the first bend ("pool"). Anchor held well and pulled up mostly clean. Coming into and leaving the creek, water levels were as low as 12' in the middle. Just at the entrance to the creek there is a small strip of sand/land where you can bring your pet for relief. The sunrise brought a beautiful "cotton candy" sky. One negative would be the amount of debris in the channel. Overall, we recommend this anchorage and would anchor here again.

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Anchorage Review for Cotton Springs

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Oct 22, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

10/2025 - We anchored in Bay Springs, however we took a dinghy ride and found ample depth's further back into Cotton Springs. If you're looking for seclusion or something further off the channel, head toward the back of Cotton Springs and find 7'-12'+. *Note: There are underwater stumps on port when heading back into the anchorage. This s/b marked on your charts. If you stay in the center of the channel you s/b fine.

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Anchorage Review for Bay Spring Visitors Center

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Oct 22, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

Excellent anchorage in ~12+'. Beautiful scenery. Short dinghy ride to the Cotton Spring boat launch "across the way" (good if you need a spot to take "Spot"). Minimal waking from boats in the main channel. There is an old boat house with lights that stay on all night (no bother to us), and the lock is just around the bend so you may hear the horn if traffic comes through (again, no bother to us). The primary anchorage is Cotton Spring which goes quite a ways in from the main channel. We took a dinghy ride and saw good depths far back in the pool. Lowest was ~7' (still good- imo). Just be careful of the underwater stumps when heading past the Cotton Springs "park" area on your port. This s/b noted on your charts. We would stay here again…highly recommend.
Re: Cell & Wi-Fi, we have Starlink which worked well.

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Marina Review for Birdsong Resort Marina

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka , Knot On Call, on Oct 10, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

Rating: 4

Arrival: 10/08/2025 Departure: 10/10/2025
After hearing words of caution, we were leery to go into the windy creek to the Birdsong Marina. However, after the owner Bob reassured us and offered to talk us through the creek via a phone call, we opted to take a chance. We draw almost 5' and were able to traverse the creek following the buoys and Bob's guidance, without issue. (We didn't see anything less than ~8' in depth). With the help of the friendly & courteous marina staff, we tied up to the marina dock. The marina offered two loaner cars which we took to Provision at Walmart (~20min ride) and to a couple restaurants (each ~15-20 min ride). We went to the Pearl Museum which is onsite and found it to be interesting & informative. There were no available facilities for us to use onsite (restrooms/showers) but the power and water at the dock were dependable.
We recommend giving this marina a chance. Call Bob if you have reservations/concerns. He is happy to help!

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Anchorage Review for Ohio River - Mile 973

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Sep 29, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

09/19/2025 - Anchored just outside the channel across from "Mound City" past the underwater dike in ~7' water. Good holding, we experienced minimal waking from tow's (that could vary depending on schedules). Beautiful sky views, industrial otherwise. Good for a quick stop. Best to pull anchor and be moving first thing the following morning.

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Anchorage Review for Dover Island

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Sep 25, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

09/24/2025: Great anchorage for lots of boats! Ample depth throughout the channel. Anchored in ~20' of water. Rivers edge is muddy and not recommended to bring pets or explore unless prepared for deep, sticky mud. Quiet & peaceful. Minimal waking from passing tows etc. Minimal wind, and current kept us straight as an arrow.

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Anchorage Review for Old Kaskaskia Island

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Sep 20, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

09/18/2025. We dropped anchor at Kaskaskia Bend (just across from Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site). Lots of room for anchoring. We saw depths of ~7'. We were with two other looper boats, with three others anchored just a bit further down the island. Holding was great (5 stars). Traffic was minimal as was the waking. Minimal wind. Some noise from train that passes. Would recommend.

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Nav Alert comment on MI: Drummond Island, Potagannissing Bay, Cheney Shoal Buoy 5, Missing

Comment by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Aug 26, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

As of 08/26/2025 - Green 5 is there.

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Anchorage Review for Indian Harbour

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Aug 8, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

Beautiful anchorage tucked away with scenic views and beautiful sunset & sunrise. However, as a channel runs through the center of the anchorage there was a lot of activity throughout the day. A handful of boaters slowed to reduce wake, but many others cut through at high speed causing lots of waking.

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Anchorage Review for Daniels Point - Balsam Lake

Reviewed by: Ron Zienka, Knot On Call, on Jul 27, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 4.7'

Great little anchorage. We stayed here as a "rest stop" in preparation for a long day on the Trent canal (07/27/2025). The anchorage itself was beautiful, with lovely homes and "cottages" that hugged the shoreline. (If you have a pet/dog, you will most likely need to dinghy farther out to find a suitable place to take them out.) We let out 100' of chain and it held nicely in mud at ~16' of depth. As it was a Saturday in July, there was a lot of activity coming in and out of a little inlet tucked just inside the cove. As such, we experienced some slight waking from the activity, but nothing too serious. Additionally, there were many curious (friendly) passerby's during daytime hours. (Guessing not many bigger boats anchor here). Evening & overnight was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. We would absolutely anchor here again!

Note: For wi-fi & cell service we gave 5 stars as we have Star-link, which worked great!

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